Aftermath
by bookworm1984
Summary: Sookie is plagued by nightmares and finds comfort in one man's arms. Spoilers: POST Book 9!


"_**Eric?" I heard my voice croak, pain coursing through my body, or, what I thought was my body. I can't really tell anymore. I can't feel anything but the burning pain of the knife that had been stabbed into me what felt like a thousand times. **_

_**So this is what it feels like to die alone. **_

_**I looked up, my eyes focusing the best they could on the two fairies that kidnapped me. They were having sex. They could have been milking a cow for all I cared, they were leaving me alone. Maybe they already thought I was dead. I knew I didn't have a long time left. I felt so weak, so cold. **_

_**So alone. **_

"_**Oh look. Our pet is awake." I heard the one fairy say. I could hear the grinding of the knife against the table as he picked it up.**_

"_**Please." I sputtered out. "No more." I closed my eyes. It took too much effort to keep them open. **_

_**I didn't hear any movement. The fairy didn't talk to me. What I did feel was the stabbing pain as the knife sliced into me over and over and over again. I could almost feel my blood leaving my body and I could taste my coppery blood in my mouth. I gasped for air, as though I was drowning. My lungs felt so heavy. I clenched my fists as I screamed out in pain, my voice sounding like it was echoing off of the walls of the place where I was about to die……**_

"**Sookie. Lover. Open your eyes." **

**As I was pulled from the brink of unconscious sleep and I teetered on the edge of dream and reality, I felt a cold hand on top of mine and another cold hand on my shoulder. "Open your eyes. Lover. Come back to me." I heard a male voice say. A familiar voice. **

**My hand squeezed the hand that was holding mine, as though I was clinging onto a lifeboat. I opened my eyes slowly and saw the most glorious sight. Eric was lying in my bed, facing me. He held my hand in one of his, his other on my shoulder. I moved closer to him, inhaling his distinct scent. It was the most wonderful smell in the world. I wished in that moment that I could bottle his scent. **

"**It alright lover. You are safe." Eric whispered, placing a kiss on my forehead. **

"**Eric." I whimpered as my body started to tremble. Tears started to flow. I had always prided myself on being a strong and independent woman. I had been through a lot in the last few years but nothing compared to what I had been subjected to at the hands of the fae. I had been having nightmares ever since I was rescued. Every night my sleep was plagued with memories and different scenarios on how that night could have played out. Each morning I was left exhausted but I was afraid to close my eyes. Closing my eyes took me to dark places. Places that I really doubted I had the strength to return too. **

**What Eric did next surprised me. Eric wrapped his free arm around me, holding me close to his body. He didn't say anything. He just held me and let me cry it out. Eric never did well with human emotions. Tears terrified him. However, this time he seemed to be making an exception. He just held me, safe in his arms. It was exactly what I needed. I needed someone else to be strong for me. I knew I was safe. Anyone or anything that wanted me would have to get past Eric first. **

**As my tears subsided and my sobs quieted, the bed shifted as Eric pulled back from me. He put his finger under my chin and lifted my chin so that my eyes met his. His eyes were full of concern but they were also full of guilt. I could feel through our bond that he was feeling as though my nightmares and pain was his fault. **

"**It was awful." I said, softly. "The nightmare." I didn't know what else to say. Eric had already felt everything through our bond. **

**Eric's hand moved and cupped my chin, his eyes never leaving mine. I leaned into his embrace. He nodded slightly, his lips forming a straight line. I could feel anger brewing within him. Anger at the fairies as they were the source of my nightmares.**

"**I could feel your distress. I suspected it was caused by a dream. It was strong but not frequent. I felt no pain through our bond, just your panic. I would have been here sooner but the sun was still too high in the sky. I tried calling your brother but he did not pick up his cell phone." Eric answered.**

**I nodded. Eric moved onto his back and I remained on my side facing Eric, my head resting on his chest. Eric pulled the comforter that had been shoved to the side, undoubtedly when I was fighting the demons in my dream, over the both of us. We laid in silence for a few minutes. I felt myself relax slowly as I let go of the memories of my nightmare and focused on my current reality. I was laying in the arms of the man that I loved. **

**I was safe.**

"**It was the worse feeling in the world." Eric started, pausing. I looked up at his face, waiting for him to continue. **

"**I have never, in my thousand years, felt so terrified. I knew something had happened to you before I was alerted of your abduction by Bill. I felt every stab of the knife that those fairies subjected you to. I could feel your fight through our bond. I could feel when you gave up…" Eric paused, he looked up to the ceiling. I knew that he hated the fact that he had not been the one to rescue me. He had not told me his reasons despite my questions, but I know the reason had to have been important. Maybe one day, Eric would be able to answer my questions. I know that he knows that I deserve an answer. **

"**I was afraid I was going to die alone." I blurted out. "I have been so angry with my brother lately that I thought that his last memories of me would be of me being angry with him." My voice trembled as my eyes threatening to fill with tears again. **

"**I kept praying to whatever higher being that was listening that you would find me. I'm not blaming you, I know you had your reasons why you weren't there. You don't have to tell me. You sent Bill to find me. That's good enough. But, I was afraid that I wouldn't see you again. I would never hear you call me 'lover' again. I was afraid that I would never hold you again." I continued, moving closer to Eric, even though there wasn't an inch of air between their bodies. I felt like I couldn't be close enough to Eric. **

**Eric moved me gently onto my back, being mindful of my still healing injuries. He brushed the hair away from my face as he bent and nuzzled my neck. The air danced around my neck as he inhaled deeply. He didn't bite. He hadn't fed from me in weeks. He insists that I need every ounce of my strength and that he did not need to feed but I knew different. I could feel his desire for my blood and his thirst, through our bond. Eric gently kissed the faint puncture marks on my neck before looking me in the eyes. **

"**I have already told you that I am proud of you. I am very proud of you Sookie. You would have been able to withstand much more. I would have given you the will to fight through our bond if I had felt you submit to those fairies." Eric said. 'Those fairies met their fate too easily. I would have tortured them until they begged me for mercy and then I would have ripped them apart limb by limb. I would have enjoyed doing so."**

**I felt a shiver run up and down my spine. I know Eric spoke the truth. I knew what Eric was capable of. Any normal time, I would have scolded him for saying such things. This time, however, I **_**almost**_** wished the fairies had survived and left at the hands of Eric. **

**I shook my head, scolding myself for thinking such awful thoughts. "It's over now. You are safe. I am safe and you will continue to keep me safe. I just wish the nightmares would stop. I think I have earned a peaceful sleep." **

**Eric rolled me onto my side, her back facing him. He laid down behind me and pulled me closer to him so that my back and head pressed against his chest. He put one arm over me and took my hands and held them firmly. "Close your eyes, lover. I am here. I will watch over you while you sleep."**

**Eric laid silently with Sookie. He listened to her steady heart beat eventually slow down as her breaths became deeper. He knew that sleep had taken Sookie. True to his word, Eric did not move from his place. He kept Sookie wrapped in his arms. He wished he could do more for the woman that he loved, however, if all she needed at the moment was for him to hold her and keep her demons at bay, he would gladly do so. Every night for the rest of his immortal life. **


End file.
